Bleacher Report - Articles by David Puccio

2009 New York Yankees - A True Cinderella Story

David Puccio — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:17:51 -0500

Who would have thought that THIS team could win the World Series. A Cinderella story about a rag-tag bunch of players who scrapped their way to their first World Series title in nine years.

Nine years is a long time. A child could have been born in November of 2000 and that child would now be nine years old. This child has gone an entire lifetime without seeing a World Series victory for the Yankees.

Yankees fans have lived a life of misery only winning twenty seven titles. A fan who is 33 years old has only seen eleven World Series teams and eight World Series titles.

Can you imagine seeing your team in the World Series for only a third of your life? Cubs fan complain all of the time but they have never experienced misery and drought such as this.

In April nobody expected this team to be the last team standing.

They had a quiet off season picking up only CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Mark Teixeira.

They only have the highest paid players at catcher, first base, shortstop, third base, starting pitcher (AL), and relief pitcher. That leaves 4 positions that they don't have the highest paid player making it almost impossible to achieve what they did.

This mere 201 million dollar salaried team easily disposed of three playoff teams, two making 113 million and one making 65 million, again another astounding and unpredictable feat.

Brian Cashman is the man who should be most commended for this title. Cashman has the agonizing job of looking over the free agent market, picking the top three to four players, and then signing them to a contract that is ten to twenty million dollars more than any other team is offering.

Kudos to Cashman for sticking with it and not bolting to a team that does not have more money than God.

And finally...ARod. This guy has been through so much, the highest paid player in baseball, dating Kate Hudson, winner of MVPs and Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers has finally found a shining light in his hard life.

The guy with the best personality on the team, the guy who has stayed away from all of the steroid controversy, the guy who has excelled in so many post seasons now has a ring.

Alex Rodriguez has made himself a household name and is finally getting the respect that he feels that he deserves.

The New York Yankees were this year's team of destiny. From the day that they bought the first of these many great, expensive players one could see that they would someday be destined for greatness.

On a more serious note, from this Red Sox fan to the New York Yankees, the fans of New York, and my stinking Yankee fan brother:

Congratulations on a great season and the World Championship. If I were a Yankees fan, I would be especially proud to see the core four, Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte, and Posada, raise the trophy for the fifth time.

If Jason Varitek Won't Retire, Then It's Time to Retire the Boston Red Sox's "C"

David Puccio — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:35:44 -0400

The Red Sox have had four team captains since 1923—Jimmie Foxx, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, and the current captain, Jason Varitek.

So many great players have played for the Red Sox throughout the years, so being named the captain is a prestigious honor.

Prior to Varitek being named in 2005, the Red Sox hadn't played with a captain since
Rice retired in 1989.

Varitek struggled heavily both offensively and defensively this season, so much so that he did not play an inning in the three-game playoff series against the Angels.

There is a good chance that he will not retire this season, which means the Red Sox's most recent team captain will be playing for another team. Not acceptable.

The Red Sox captain should be a player that plays his whole career on the team, as Rice and Yastrzemski did. It should be a player that is so celebrated in his departure that his last game at Fenway should be a special day, as Yastremski's was.

It should not be a player who fans question should be re-signed prior to his last season with his team. It should not be a player who message boards crucify because of his anemic hitting statistics and inability to throw runners out.

Varitek was a great player in his prime and arguably the second-best catcher in Red Sox history. He was the unquestioned leader of a team that won two World Series titles, which is more than can be said for his three predecessors.

The fans and his teammates loved and respected him and still do to this day. As good as he was, there is a chance that he could only be a footnote in history, not a revered captain of the Red Sox.

I don't like the idea that the Red Sox captain is going to play for another team. When the captainship is given, it can't be known whether that player will complete his career with that team.

As a Red Sox fan, we could have given Nomar or Pedro the C over their heart, assuming that they would be there forever. Things change fast, and those times seem like so long ago.

I believe that since the Red Sox were willing to give the C to the leader of the team, then Varitek was the logical choice. Any teammate or opposing player would say that he is the most deserving player in the clubhouse.

I don't want to take away from the fact that Varitek was the captain because, under the current unwritten guidelines, he is very deserving. I just don't want to see my team captain come to Fenway in a Rangers or Tigers uniform; I only want to see him in a Red Sox uniform.

I have a great respect for Varitek and he is part of a very exclusive club. As a player who helped tremendously in bringing the first championship to Boston in eighty-six years lets give Varitek one more deserving moniker to add to his resume:

The last Red Sox captain.

Should Jonathan Papelbon be Papel-gone?

David Puccio — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:23:49 -0400

The Red Sox need to explore the possibility of trading Jonathan Papelbon this off-season.

Now considering his statistics this season, you must think i'm insane for even asking the Sox to do this.

He is having another great season where he's fourth in the American League in saves and has an ERA of 1.87. He will again have another year with more strikeouts than innings pitched, and will probably pass his career high of 41 saves and keep his ERA under 3.00.

But Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman excluded, closers have a limited amount of time where they are in their prime. At 28 years old and in his 5th year in the major leagues, Papelbon is in the early middle of his prime now.

While he is having another great season, there are a few things to be alarmed about, most notably, the number of walks that he has given up and the inability to avoid pitching himself into jams.

While the latter may not be noticeable on a national scene to fans and analysts not regularly covering the Sox, it is becoming something to worry about as he has pitched himself into and out of bases loaded situations nine times this season. He has a flair for the dramatic as he has faced 15 batters with the bases loaded, striking out 10 of them and only allowing one hit with no walks.

This year, he has walked 24 batters in 57.2 innings while last year, he only walked eight batters in 69.1 innings. These are numbers that shouldn't be that concerning unless there was a trend spanning multiple seasons. One season with a few inflated statistics is not a reason to trade away one of the best players on the team.

So again, why trade Jonathan Papelbon?

Papelbon is making $6,250,000 million this season and is eligible for arbitration after this season and after next. With the numbers that he has put up over fives years, the last four as the closer, he will argue for and rightfully deserve $10 million for next season.

If the Red Sox don't have an interest in trading him and choose to try to sign him to a contract rather than take the inevitable arbitration loss, they are going to probably be looking at a four year contract (the Red Sox don't like five year contracts) in the range of $10-$12 million per season.

Papelbon reportedly turned down a two year contract offer in the $16,000,000 million range prior to this season; so it is a fair assumption that two years is not enough and $8 million per season is not enough. He turns 29 this November, so at the end of a four year contract he will be 33 years old which is creeping dangerously close to old for a closer.

Papelbon made some comments in June to SiriusXM radio which raised an eyebrow for many Red Sox fans when asked if he could play for the Yankees when he becomes a free agent.

He is still loved at Fenway Park, but it opened the door for fans to realize that he may not be here forever, and he is willing to commit cardinal sin number one or better called "Pull a Johnny Damon".

"Oh, of course," Papelbon said on the Jody McDonald show. "I mean, I think if we can't come to an agreement on terms here in a Red Sox uniform, I mean I think that's pretty much the writing on the wall. If they can't come to terms with you they're letting you know that, 'Hey you know what? We can go somewhere else' and I think it's the same way on the other side, 'Hey if ya'll can't come to an agreement with me then I can go somewhere else.'

"Not only the Bronx, but anywhere. I think anywhere is a possibility. You always have to keep that in the back of your mind because you can't just be one-sided and think that, 'Oh I'm going to be in a Red Sox uniform my entire career,' because nowadays that is very, very rare and hopefully we can because there's no question I would love to stay in a Boston Red Sox uniform but I have to do what's best for me and play in an atmosphere where I'm wanted and play on a team where I'm wanted and that's all I can really say about that, you know?"

How could the Red Sox possibly replace Papelbon?

Daniel Bard is a very exciting closer in waiting. He is also a very inexperienced closer in waiting. Papelbon had only one season as a setup man to Keith Foulke before he masterfully took over the closing duties, which could be very similar to Bard if Papelbon is traded. The only thing fans wonder is whether the Red Sox can catch lightning in a bottle twice.

Bard could be eased into the closer role if Wagner pitches successfully during this seasons stretch run and is resigned after this season. The Red Sox have agreed not to pick up Wagner's option, but due his age and recent surgery, it can be assumed that he will not be pursued for the $10,500,000 million he is making this year; but rather for something in the $5,000,000-$8,000,000 million range for one season.

In a scenario such as this, Wagner can be the closer, but not being able to pitch everyday Bard could be eased in for 10-15 saves.

No Red Sox fan will be upset if Papelbon is not traded because he is the best Red Sox closer since Dick Radatz. Nobody would argue that Bob Stanley, Lee Smith, Bill Campbell, Keith Foulke, Jeff Reardon or any other Red Sox closer compare in any way to Papelbon. Even if he is the best, it is better to get something for him than to let him walk, especially if they have a potential replacement ready.

Since Papelbon still has one more arbitration eligible season, there will not be a better time to trade him than this off-season. After next season, he will still be valuable, but not as valuable because he would be playing one season and then could potentially leave after one season.

If any team acquires him after this year, than he is committed to two seasons.

Let's see how this all plays out

Players Drug Us Into the Steroids Mess, But Who Should be Permanently Stained?

David Puccio — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:17:42 -0400

Steroids or Supplements? It doesn't seem like an important question because all of the admitted users are guilty right? Well, it does matter because one was legal and one was not.

If one player ordered his steroids from Tijuana, injects them into his butt while another player goes to GNC and picks some supplements off of the shelf than there is a huge difference. How can we decide that these two players are equally guilty when one was doing something illegal and the other was using something that the guy in the cubicle across from you is probably also using?

Since we choose to call both players guilty than why are we not after the guy that drinks six Red Bulls prior to the game, or the guys that were popping amphetamines like vitamins. Anybody who has read Ball Four in the last 30 years knows that amphetamines have been prevalent in the game for a long time.

It's hard to know who is guilty of what and that showed with David Ortiz's poor excuse of a press conference. If he was using steroids or HGH than yes, he should be chastised and his career should be considered tainted. If he was using supplements, as he stated, than he should be given a break.

If what he said is true, that he, or his trainer, was able to walk into a store in the United States, purchase a supplement that is legal in the United States, and use it in a league that did not ban any drugs than why is he considered one of the players that uses performance enhancing drugs.

If he did use a performance enhancing drug and it was shipped to another name at another address because it is illegal in the United States and his buddy Manny injected it into him or he rubbed it on his sore elbow than he does deserve the criticism that he got. How do we know who did what? We don't, we can only suspect.

We know Jose Canseco and Miguel Tejada used steroids, we know that Rafael Palmiero tested positive for steroids, even though he claims that he thought he was taking a B12 shot, we know that Andy Pettitte used HGH and Jason Giambi used steroids. We know that Alex Rodriguez used steroids for three years and Manny Ramirez was apparently trying to get pregnant.

We don't know for certain what Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire took, if anything. We also know that there are 103 players on a list that used something that could range from steroids to refusing to take the test so they would automatically default to a positive test to force true testing.

All of the players named above are all potential Hall of Fame players or significant players in the game so it leads to another question. Do they belong in the Hall of Fame or should their records and statistics be removed from the history books?

It unfortunate that the numbers are skewed now, 60 was a number that was known and admired for 34 years and 61 replaced it for 37 years. Seventy replaced that number and was replaced by 73 three years later. Seventy-three will probably stay there for a long time because now, coincidentally or not, no player is even approaching the number.

It probably saddens every baseball fan to see that since 1998 the number 61 has dropped to the seventh best home run total. That doesn't however mean the the six above it should be removed. Even if McGwire and Sosa were using we have to assume that many of the pitchers that they faced were using it as well.

Maybe they were just the best home-run hitters that we have ever seen and if that is true it is a shame that we will never appreciate it. What these players were doing was wrong but we can't necessarily blame them if they were trying to compete with other players doing the same thing.

Clemens and Bonds belong in the Hall of Fame period. Bonds is arguably the best hitter of this generation and Clemens is the best pitcher of this generation. They both could end up in jail instead of the Hall of Fame but that shouldn't be the case.

We have allowed others with questionable pasts enter the Hall, two that come to mind immediately are Gaylord Perry and his admitted use of an illegal pitch and Orlando Cepeda use of drugs. Both belong in the Hall of Fame but their offenses did not carry the same weight in the minds of the writers that that the steroid era is going to.

Clemens and Bonds have not been proven guilty yet in the minds of every fan and most writers they have been.

This is what we know, a Mets trainer/clubhouse and a Giants trainer/clubhouse person testified in the Mitchell report, Jose Canseco wrote a book that has been to this point proven mostly correct, and there is a list of 103 names that tested positive when MLB did anonymous testing in 2003.

What does that tell us? It tells us that we haven't scratched the surface of what was going on. There are 28 other clubhouses that nobody was willing to testify about in the Mitchell report and the players in 2003 knew that anonymous testing was coming so surely many of them got clean prior to the test.

It isn't fair that many players got a free pass because nobody 'snitched' or their wasn't enough evidence. It wasn't fair to the players that were caught and it wasn't fair to the fans.

We need to get past this and consider the steroid era a past era. Every sport has periods of change and we move along to the next one. I cannot be convinced that this scandal is worse than the sport not allowing black players and black Latino players to play. Some of the greatest players in history never played an inning of Major League Baseball yet we let all of our records prior to 1946 stand.

The steroid era had players possibly on steroids playing against other players possibly on steroids. The white players of the first half of the century played against other white players while some of the greatest players of the time were not allowed to play.

What is a greater travesty, the fact that Sammy Sosa hit 60 home runs for a few years in a row or the fact that we don't have any highlights to watch of Joe DiMaggio facing Satchel Paige. I have never seen a highlight of Josh Gibson hitting a home run which upsets me more than the fact that Brady Anderson once hit 50 home runs.

This Week In Baseball... "Technology"

David Puccio — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:16:14 -0400

Last night I watched the Red Sox-Yankees game on NESN. I could have watched it on ESPN or listened to it on my SiriusXM radio. If it wasn't blacked out I could have watched it on my MLB online package or maybe just listened to one of the three to four local radio stations. If I had other stuff to do I could have watched a replay on NESN this morning or seen quick highlights as the lead on SportCenter. At 9:00 last night my DVR automatically switched the channel because their was an overlap in recording. You see, we DVR everything three to four minutes past the hour (thanks Lost!) in case it goes over. Last night another show was starting on another channel not allowing me to watch the game for about four minutes. Not to worry though, I was able to watch a live Gamecast doing play by play online so I didn't miss anything.

During the game Dennis Eckersley commented on the fact that Jonathan Papelbon used to be a starter. That reminded me that after his first year closing he came to spring training prepping to be a starter but I couldn't remember when that was. I checked baseball-reference.com and found my answer. It was after the 2006 season for those who are curious. I also wondered about the discrepancy between the Red Sox and Yankees team salaries this year since it seems like the Yankees spent a lot of money this winter. I went online to USA Today, Yankees $201,449,189, Red Sox $121,745,999, big, but not as big as I thought. I was able to find an update on Jerry Remys health, the lifetime stats of Ramiro Pena, the guy that I had never heard of until he pinch ran for ARod, why AJ Burnett has never appeared in the postseason (I didn't realize that he was injured for the Marlins World Series run), and listened to Susan Waldmans crazy Roger Clemens is in George Steinbrenners box rant. Any information that I need is at my fingertips, I even found out that David Carradine could have been murdered by a secret ninja society.

I could not survive without instant information, fantasy sports, and the ability to watch any team, any game, at any time but I kind of miss the time when it was much simpler. I am 35 so the '80s were the time that baseball and sports became a passion for me. I didn't have cable TV so I was only able to watch the Red Sox on Sunday afternoons and the occasional Tuesday nights. On Saturdays there was a national game when I could watch other teams, I remember hoping and praying that I could see Dwight Gooden, Ozzie Smith, or Fred Lynn. I listened to every other game on my clock radio playing Strat-o-matic baseball until my mom made me go to bed where I then listened until I fell asleep. I still remember listening to Roger Clemens first 20 strikeout game with the radio sound low resting on my ear so my parents didn't know that I was still awake. When it was finished I wanted to tell somebody but couldn't, now I could simply text a friend, IM my brother, or leave a tweet. West Coast games were the worst, I would fight to stay awake so I could listen to the first inning but that wasn't the worst part. The part that killed me was if I couldn't get up in time to watch the five minute scoreboard on the national news I didn't know who won. The paper wouldn't have the score until the next day and the standings were always screwed up because it didn't include last nights game. Until I could watch the 6:00 evening news I was dependent on the other kids at school to feed me the game information.

On Sundays I would beg to get the Boston Sunday Globe so I could read Peter Gammons weekly baseball column. It was a whole page! After reading that I would open the paper to the statistics page (there was one page that had the complete stats for every player) and lay it out on the floor. I would go line by line reading the stats for every player and circling each Red Sox player. I would always know how many spots Jim Rice moved up in home run race each week and Wade Boggs progression to the top of the batting average leaders. I could name every World Series winner, MVP, Cy Young, Batting Champ, and more going back 25 years. I would buy a pack of baseball cards and I would study the back of the cards for hours soaking in the information like a sponge. I would get excited when I would learn something like George Foster hit 52 home runs in 1977. 52? Really? Nobody hits 50 home runs. Now, I probably couldn't name all of the World Series winners of this decade and I have no idea who is leading either league in batting average or home runs. Is it because there is no need to memorize it anymore since the information is so readily available? I should know all this, I watch every Red Sox game, I watch every national televised game, I play in two fantasy leagues, and I listen to sports talk radio in my office all day.

I love new technology and I love having any information available at any time but sometimes I feel like I was a better fan before I had all of that. When I studied baseball cards and read Sports Illustrated cover to cover or saved every years Street & Smith Baseball Preview it was somehow better. When I would learn who the Red Sox prospects were from the yearbook rather than following them from the day they were drafted it was somehow better. When I used to cut out the box scores to put them in a scrapbook and learn the batting stances of the entire team it was somehow better.

I will always have a passion for baseball but now I don't have to work at it. I truly think that working at it made me a better fan.

Curt Schilling Will Fall Short with the HOF Voters...Thanks a Lot Jack Morris

David Puccio — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:23:26 -0400

Jim Rice has been elected to the Hall of Fame bringing about the question, who is the next big Hall of Fame argument? Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven would be the logical choices but there is a very good chance that one or both of them will be elected in 2010.

We have to have at least one former player to emotionally argue for or against, that one player who statistics are examined, turned around, dissected, compared, and critiqued repeatedly year after year.

That next person is Curt Schilling.

There will be other arguments, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Lee Smith, Tim Raines, the steroid argument for or against Palmeiro, Sosa, Clemens, and Bonds but Schilling will be the one we the spend a few years either strongly behind his induction or adamantly against it.

There are number of great players that are going to be on the outside looking in so why is Schilling “the guy”? One reason and one reason alone, because Jack Morris is not going to get in.

“I can’t vote for Schilling if Morris is not in.” In 2013 (or 2012 depending on whether MLB recognizes his retirement announcement or his last game played) that statement will be the number one argument for denying Schilling his place in the Hall.

Morris who was a great pitcher in his own right could be the sole reason that Schilling doesn’t get in. Schillings numbers are borderline as are Morris’s so the comparison will be made because of their postseason numbers.

Schilling and Morris are unquestionably two of the greatest big game pitchers of this generation, there are other great ones, Clemens, Maddux, Pedro, and Johnson, but most managers would take Schilling or Morris over the great ones of this generation to start Game Seven.

It is unfortunate that Schilling will be compared to Morris because Schilling is clearly the better pitcher.

His numbers are borderline but those statistics compared with his postseason numbers and his part in one of the most historic baseball moments of all time make him a Hall of Famer.

Morris won 38 more games than Schilling and his 10 inning performance in Game Seven for the Twins will be what is used to argue for him rather than Schilling. Wins however is the only statistic that Morris has a distinct advantage in, Schilling hit the magic 3000 strikeout mark which is almost 700 more than Morris in just under 600 less innings.

Schillings career ERA of 3.46 is almost a full run lower than the league average during his career while Morris had an ERA of 3.90 compared to the league average of 4.08.

Schilling has a lower career WHIP, walked almost half the men that Morris did, had a higher win percentage, and did all of this during a time when beefed up steroid hitters ruled the game.

Postseason is where the two compare but even so Schillings numbers are still better than Morris. Schilling did pitch in more games because of the extra divisional round of games but in six more games pitched Schilling still has an ERA that is less than half a run lower than Morris.

They each pitched in seven World Series games and while Morris is 3-0 and Schilling is 3-1 Schillings ERA in those games is almost a full run lower, 2.96 to 2.06.

Take that into account with Schilling being a part of the incredible pitching performance in the 2001 World Series and the unforgettable Bloody Sock game in 2004 there really is no debate.

One question always brought up in Hall of Fame discussions is whether or not the player was the best player at any one time during his career.

The answer for both Schilling and Morris is no but Schilling did finish second for the Cy Young award three times while Morris never finished above third.

Both players should be considered on their own merit but that will not be the case. Schilling is a borderline candidate and Morris falls just short of borderline but there is a very good chance that Schilling will never get in because Morris is not going to get in.

103 Players To Be Named, Is Nomar One of Them?

David Puccio — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:48:50 -0500

I still remember February 2001 when I pulled my Sports Illustrated out of the mailbox and saw the Nomar Garciaparra cover. I believe that my exact reaction was “Holy S---!”

I am a lifelong Red Sox fan and I would have fought to the death to defend who I felt was the best of the triumvirate of American League shortstops but I did not expect to see the buff, cut, shirtless cover of Noo-mahhh.

Don’t get me wrong, my next reaction was not “he’s on steroids” but rather “MVP”. Gone were the days of our great hitting 150-160 pound great shortstop, here were the days of our 190-200 pound rugged power hitting MVP shortstop.

Perhaps I was a little naive in 2001 because I never suspected he was on steroids, as a matter of fact I really didn’t think anybody was on steroids. McGwire and Sosa saved baseball not destroyed it, Jose Canseco, OK maybe, but who cares he was one guy.

In 2004 we (I say we because sadly I feel that I am a part of my teams) traded Nomar to Chicago as he had worn out his welcome in Boston. Steroids were mentioned but there was never any proof, I think that everybody used the Sports Illustrated cover to suspect him.

The injuries were starting to come, including a major one shortly after the Sports Illustrated cover, which helped fuel the speculation. Here was a guy that was a hero just one season before yet struggled in the 2003 playoffs, sulked through the first half of 2004, and sort of forced his way out.

Was the Boston fan base and media upset or hurt, specifically Bob Ryan who wrote a fairly damaging article exploring the idea that Nomar used steroids, that their star forced his way out of town or maybe there could be some truth to the rumors.

Could Nomar have been using steroids? Could Nomar’s injuries and sulkiness be side effects of steroid use?

Some of the injuries synonymous with steroids or HGH include torn hamstrings, oblique strains (rib cage strains), and ruptured Achilles' tendons. Muscles are growing too quickly and rip away from the joints and the tendons are putting too much pressure on the ligaments causing major injuries.

Nomar has ruptured his Achilles and had a number of strained and/or torn hamstrings. Coincidence? Nomar's numbers drastically decreased after 2003 which coincidentally was the year that Major League Baseball started doing their confidential testing. As evidenced below he was never again the player that the Red Sox fans remember:

I broke the numbers into two periods, 1997-2003 (this excludes 1996 when he had only 87 AB’s as rookie and 2001 when he had a wrist injury that limited him to 83 AB’s) and 2004-2008.

Averages

1997-2003 - .326 AVG, 198 Hits 27.5 HR’s, 107 RBI’s, 136.5 OPS

2004-2008 - .292 AVG, 94 Hits, 10.6 HR’s, 50 RBI’s, 102.6 OPS

While he did have a very good year in 2006 with the Dodgers he did not reach 500 AB’s and his 120 OPS was lower than any single season during the 1997-2003 period.

Did Nomar use steroids? I truly hope not. Whether it is because of my own naivety not wanting to think that any of my heroes would do this or is it is because I still like the guy. There are 103 guys left on the list and I do hope that all of the names are released so that we can be done with this seemingly never-ending saga.

I hope that Nomar is not on this list but I think that he will be showing that the only true player from that triumvirate will be Derek Jeter. There was a time when Miguel Tejada won the MVP in Oakland leading people to believe that there was also a fourth great American League shortstop yet even he is tainted.

Throughout history we have been told that shortstops were supposed to be small defensive players with not much bat. That all changed with Cal Ripken then soon after with Rodriguez, Garciaparra, Jeter, and Tejada, maybe there is some truth to the history.

Here’s to hoping that Nomar is not on the list and we can remember him for what he was not for what he did.

Should the Dallas Cowboys Release Terrell Owens?

David Puccio — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:54:20 -0500

This is a tough question, a compelling argument can be made to release him, yet an equally compelling argument can be made to keep him.

Release him:

The guy will be 37 before the end of next season, his skills have started to diminish, and he is among the league leaders in dropped passes annually.

He is considered by many to be a poor route runner and he does not get along with the offensive coordinator and head coach in waiting Jason Garrett.

He may have caused a rift between Tony Romo and Jason Witten, and he may be a negative influence on the younger receivers like Roy Williams, Miles Austin, and Patrick Crayton.

The Cowboys have already released Pacman Jones and have decided not to resign Tank Johnson.

Chemistry played a major role in this year's 9-7 finish, and team morale played a major role in the 44-6 loss to the Eagles, so perhaps removing all of the distractions and negative influences from the team is what is necessary.

Jerry Jones traded two No. 1 draft picks to acquire Roy Williams, so at 27, with talent like his, the Cowboys need to make him a focal point of the offense. Garrett used him sparingly after the trade, was it because he was having trouble becoming accustomed to the offense or was it because Garrett was trying to make Owens happy?

The latter was probably true, yet Owens allegedly claimed that Romo always throws to Witten and that they secretly planned plays that did not include him. All that being said, it can’t be explained why Owens had more balls thrown his way than Witten.

Keep him:

Owens is arguably one of the greatest receivers in NFL history, and he can be credited with much of Romo's success. We can only wonder how Romo's career would have started had he not had a breakout receiver such as Owens.

Owens claims that he is a good teammate; remember this teary-eyed statement? “That’s my teammate. That’s my quarterback.”

Owens also claims that he never made the Romo/Witten remarks and that they were nothing more than an Ed Werder fabrication.

Last year, Jones signed Owens to a new contract, including a $12 million signing bonus, which means there will be a big salary cap hit if he is released. Jones claimed that the hit would be so large it could prevent them from resigning DeMarcus Ware.

If Owens was released, it would leave the load to Roy Williams, and it can also be noted that with all of the talent that Williams has, he has yet to show it.

He has had only one 1,000 yard season and was nonexistent once coming to the Cowboys.

Conclusion:

Releasing Owens is not really a feasible option this off-season. Regardless of his age and his alleged chemistry issues, he is still an elite NFL receiver who makes Romo a better quarterback.

Roy Williams, as good as he could be, has yet to prove that he can be he can be a No. 1 receiver and unless they find a good free agent wide receiver, they have nobody to replace him.

While chemistry was certainly an issue, the Cowboys' main problem this season was their offensive line protecting Romo, opening holes for the running backs, and injuries.

The Cowboys are moving into a new stadium next season and Jerry Jones wants to put a competitive and exciting team onto the field. He has never shied away from questionable characters and probably will not do so now.

Many of us have heard that Owens is a locker room cancer but very few of us have been in the locker room to witness it. As long as Owens is in the league, there will be people following him trying to break the next “shocking” story.

Owens should be back in Dallas next season, but as he gets older, his leash is getting shorter.

Japanese Stars in MLB

David Puccio — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:50:39 -0500

Japanese baseball players have started to have a major impact on the American game in recent years. This slide show represents the best Japanese players that major league baseball offers plus the one player who made it all happen with Nomo-Mania. Apologies to the numerous players that are not included in this show but should contribute greatly to their teams and the league in upcoming years.

Begin Slideshow

All-NBA Arrested Hall of Fame Team

David Puccio — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:25:30 -0500

Every year we hear about a player or two being arrested, so I decided to put together a team of arrestees.

Not just any team of arrestees. This team consists of Hall of Fame players and future Hall of Fame players each who have been arrested at least once. Anything less than a Hall of Fame team would probably include about 200 players.

The years selected is the year that they were arrested unless they were already retired where I took their best year. I know, kind of cheating.

Without further ado, here is your All NBA Arrested HOF Team.

PG—Jason Kidd, 2001-2002

Jason Kidd is a definite hall of famer and former arrestee. Kidd had a couple of run-ins with police when he was a student at Cal and his early days with the Mavericks but is most known for charge of domestic violence in 2001.

If I remember correctly his response was that she was abusing him. Nice, I guess toughness is not the factor keeping him in this starting lineup.

SG—Allen Iverson, 2002-2003

Where do we start?

Iverson was first arrested in high school when he was arrested for “maiming by mob” and spent four months in jail. After his 1997 rookie year, he was arrested for possession of a gun and marijuana and charged with threatening two men with a gun in 2002. Don’t mess with this guy.

SF—Kobe Bryant, 2002-2003

I don’t believe that we need an explanation here.

PF—Charles Barkley, 1996-1997

No big deal here, Barkley just decided to throw a man threw a plate glass window. Barkley’s statement to the man thrown through the window ''You got what you deserve. You don't respect me. I hope you're hurt.''

C—Robert Parish, 1988-1989

This current hall of famer never got in trouble with the law until he decided to mail order marijuana through Federal Express.

Bench

Sixth Man—George Gervin, 1977-1978

"Iceman" was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. He was not able to finger roll his way out of this one. Wow, that was a bad joke but I am leaving it because I have nothing.

C—Bill Walton, 1976-1977

Not an arrest remembered by most NBA fans, but Walton was arrested in 1972 for protesting Richard Nixon’s naval blockade of North Vietnam. It was just a quiet sit in (Walton, quiet, really?), but he was arrested none the less.

F—Chris Webber, 1998-1989

This future hall of famer was pepper sprayed in the face for resisting arrest, marijuana possession, and driving under the influence in 1998.

He really wasn’t resisting arrest but rather trying to call a timeout. The police officer realizing that this was an attempt to get away because Webber did not have any timeouts left sprayed him.

G—Calvin Murphy, 1973-1974

Murphy was accused and acquitted or child molestation charges.

G—Pete Maravich, 1976-1977

“Pistol” was arrested for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.

According to the Mark Kriegel book Pistol, this was because he was so depressed and nobody liked him. That was a joke, this was an excellent book and I recommended it to anyone.

C—Moses Malone, 1993-1994

In 1993, Moses was arrested for threatening to kill his ex-wife.

F—James Worthy, 1989-1990

In 1990, Worthy was arrested and charged with two counts of prostitution. So the guy needs a stress reliever before a game and the next thing he knows he’s in handcuffs.

Well, he ordered two women so I guess we know why they call him “Big Game James.”

Jim Rice in '09: Hall-of-Fame Voters, Pay Attention, It's Now or Never

David Puccio — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:45:18 -0500

Those who did not see Jim Rice play probably think that, based on numbers alone, he does not belong in the Hall of Fame. While his statistics are, in fact, Hall-of-Fame worthy, it can be said that he was the best hitter in the game for 10+ years.

While others both in the Hall of Fame and not in the Hall have similar statistics, not many of them were as feared as Rice was. Goose Gossage, a deserving inductee last season, said “I didn’t fear any hitter, but he was the closest I ever came to fearing.”

Rice did benefit from hitter friendly Fenway Park, but he did not benefit from the inflated power numbers which now skew the record books. He does not have any of the “milestone” Hall of Fame numbers, but he is just shy of many of them. The writers seem to care about longevity, as they always seem to vote in the players who have reached the magic numbers, even if it did take the player 20+ years to do so, Andre Dawson excluded.

It can be argued that the strike in 1981 cost him the 18 home runs that he needed to get to 400. From 1977-1983 (excluding 1981), Rice averaged 35 home runs a season; he hit 17 in the strike shortened year and finished 18 shy of 400. If he had hit his average number in 1981, he would have been at 400 exactly for his career.

I am certainly not claiming that we say "what if" when tying to justify his numbers, far greater players than Rice have had lost seasons through no fault of their own. I am only using this argument to show how close he was to achieving a Hall of Fame “milestone."

Prior to the current run of 400-plus home run players, the only player with 400 or more home runs not in the Hall of Fame was Dave Kingman.

Rice left the game at age 36 due to an injury-plagued season in 1989, so his career consisted of 17 seasons and only 14 full seasons. Kirby Puckett retired at age 35 due to injury and only had 12 full seasons. Puckett was a fan favorite and a media darling, so he had no problem getting in; Rice was well liked in Boston; however, he was never a fan favorite and was disliked by the media.

The media writers, for those who don’t know, do the voting for the Hall of Fame.

Rice’s numbers are very comparable to other Hall of Fame outfielders and first baseman, such as Orlando Cepeda (1B/OF), Billy Williams (OF), Duke Snider (OF), Willie Stargell (1B/OF), Richie Ashburn (OF), Tony Perez (1B), and Kirby Puckett (OF).

Since a majority of baseball writers either ignore or do not understand Sabremetrics, I am going to show a comparison of some basic statistics. I am going on the assumption that these are the statistics that the voters look at.

           Seasons Full              AVG      H       2B     3B     HR     RBI     SB     .OBP    .SLG
Rice           17         14       .298   2452     373   79    382   1451    58     .352    .502
Cepeda      17         13       .297   2351     417   27    379   1365    142    .350    .499
Williams      18          15      .290   2711     434   88    426   1475    90      .361    .499
Snider         18         9        .295   2116     358   85    407   1237   99      .380    .540
Puckett       12         12      .318   2304     414   57    207   1085    134    .360    .477
Stargell       21         14      .282   2232     423   55    475   1540    17      .360    .529
Ashburn      15         13       .308   2574     317   109   29     586    234     .396    .382
Perez          23         14      .279   2732     505   79    379   1652    49      .341    .463

I have also taken into account a couple of other factors:
MVP Awards                  MVP Top 10 Finishes      All Star Appearances
Rice – 1                         Puckett – 7                    Cepeda – 11
Puckett -1                      Rice – 6                        Puckett – 10
Cepeda – 1                     Kaline – 5                       Rice/Kaline – 8
Stargell – 1                     Stargell – 4                    Stargell/Perez – 7
                                  Williams/Perez/Cepeda – 3   Williams/Ashburn – 6
                                    Ashburn – 2

As seen by these numbers, Rice’s statistics are very similar to a number of previously elected players. This does not take into account fielding, but of the players listed, only Puckett has won a Gold Glove award—six to be exact. Rice loses some points from voters because he spent much of career as a DH, but he was an above-average fielder.

Where was he supposed to play when seven-time Gold Glove winner Carl Yastrzemski was in left and eight-time Gold Glove winner Dwight Evans was in right? It can also be noted as well that, although he never played first base, it really wasn’t an option with players like Cecil Cooper, George Scott, and Tony Perez there.

Finally, Rice was overlooked for much of career because he played for mediocre teams. His Red Sox reached the postseason twice, 1975 his first year and 1986 his last healthy year. Unfortunately, he broke his wrist in late September of 1975 and missed the postseason. Not only did he miss the playoff, he may have cost himself the Rookie of the Year award. Fred Lynn went on to win the Rookie of the Year and the MVP award, but notice how similar their statistics were:

                    AVG      H       2B     3B     HR     RBI      SB     .OBP    .SLG
           Lynn  .331     175   47      7      21    105     10      .401     .566
           Rice   .309     174   29      4      22    102     10      .350     .491

He did win the MVP award in 1978, when the Red Sox finished the season in second after a one-game playoff with the Yankees. In 1977 and 1979, he could have also won the MVP award, but he finished out of contention because the Red Sox finished tied for second, winning 97 games in 1977 (three GB) and finished third with 91 wins (11 GB) in 1979, and he was already disliked by the voting writers.

Obviously, this is another "what if" but notice how in some cases, his statistics in 1977 and 1979 were better than the winner and some of those ahead of him.

1977 MVP:                                                          1979 MVP:
                  .AVG    H     HR   RBI   SB                      .AVG     H     HR      RBI     SB
Rod Carew   .388   239   14   100   23     Don Baylor    .296    186   36     139     22
Al Cowens    .312   189    23  112   16     Ken Singleton.295    168    35     111     3
Ken Singleton.328   176    24   99     0     George Brett .329   212    23     107    17

Jim Rice .320 206 39 114 5 Fred Lynn .333 177 39 122 2

Jim Rice .325 201 39 130 9

Rice was the most feared hitter in baseball for a period of time and arguably the best hitter in the American league from 1975-1986. His numbers are Hall-of-Fame worthy in comparison to some others already in and he should be elected in his last attempt next year. There are others that arguments can be made for: Bert Blyleven, Dale Murphy, Andre Dawson, and Tommy John among others. They are all arguments for another day.

Rice in ‘09!

Week 10 at Valley Ranch

David Puccio — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:37:25 -0500

The Dallas Cowboys have been in a slump that is not only occurring on the field but also in the medical ward. They have lost three of their last four games while losing Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Roy Williams, Anthony Henry, Terrance Newman, Felix Jones, and others to injury.

So, can they win this weekend?

I have dissected the match-ups this weekend and have come to the conclusion that they will in fact… not lose. How did I come to this conclusion? Easy, I sent a spy to the practice facility to get the lowdown. Oh, and they also are not playing which means that they probably won’t win either.

When my spy reached the practice facility Tuesday the only person there was Jerry Jones. Jones was walking around the facility mumbling something about D’Angelo Hall co-existing with Bill Cowher. Huh? I don’t know what that means; maybe Cowher is coming out of retirement to coach the Raiders.

So anyway, my spy snuck into the locker room only to find a practice schedule which shows Monday, Tuesday, and Friday as off days this week. Not a good sign, how can they expect to win if they don’t practice?

Since the place was empty my spy decided to take the rest of the day off, he said something about having a Coke, getting a girl and finding the White House. He said he may be able to score some interviews with some former players like Nate Newton and Michael Irvin. I’m not sure what Newton and Irvin have to do with watching the presidential election results but whatever, I’ll take them.

On Wednesday morning my spy was back at the practice field this time with players there.

He was able to get an interview with Terrell Owens, who is limiting his media time, and could only get one phrase from him. “I love me some me.” Ooh, that is good sign, he must be happy. Romo is coming! Romo is coming!

I will assume that Romo is on his way back because he and Owens are still in the honeymoon phase. We haven’t gotten to the “I wasn't the guy who got tired in the Super Bowl" point (perhaps because they have not won a playoff game yet) or he’s gay point (probably only due to a certain Miss Simpson hanging around practice).

Romo wasn’t practicing Wednesday but my spy overheard a phone conversation where he was complaining about spending all of his off days at Ashlee and Pete’s.

No sign of Pacman, errr… Adam

Roy Williams and Roy Williams seemed to be having a good time. Roy Williams was talking to the NFL Network pretending to be Roy Williams while Roy Williams was talking to the Dallas Morning News pretending to be Roy Williams.

Apparently Flozell Adams was whistled for a false start on the way to the bathroom. He seems get called at the worst possible times.

Brooks Bollinger and Brad Johnson held a longball competition. Bollinger won throwing a ball 32 yards, Johnsons long ball was 16 yards. Kicker Nick Folk, also in the competition, threw a ball 29 yards and will be challenging Bollinger for the backup job.

Not sure what the spy was thinking here but he sat down with Wade Phillips and figured out that if you take each injured players injury and combine them they have one super player out. (?)

Pacman Jones – Head problems

Patrick Watkins – Neck

Terrance Newman – Abdomen

Jason Witten – Ribs

Tony Romo – Finger

Anthony Henry – Thigh

Felix Jones/Anthony Spencer – Hamstring

Kyle Kosier – Foot

Yeah, this one doesn’t work for me. The super player is missing two arms and a foot; I don’t think he is really a super player.

Demarcus Ware said he would sack the no armed super player if necessary in order to keep his sack streak alive. Somebody should tell him that the streak doesn’t get broken if he doesn’t play.

Greg Ellis was overheard plotting a plan to win his second comeback player of the year award next year. Apparently since he will not make the Hall of Fame with his average career he has decided to suck every other year and try to get in with three to four comeback player of the year awards. You never know, it hasn’t been tried before.

Bobby Carpenter has asked that he now be called Rob Carpenter. Hmmm, I don’t remember Rob being that good either.

That’s it from the spy, he didn’t really get me the information that I was looking for. He mentioned something about heading to Minnesota to go on a boat ride with some players. Again, I’m not sure what that means.

Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, Larry Johnson Can Still Help Fantasy Players

David Puccio — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:26:04 -0500

For many of us, it is time to start preparing for the playoffs. For others, interest is waning.

If you are out of the race in a keeper league, now is the time to build your team for next season.

The strategy for most keeper league owners is drafting young and hoping that your players are dominant in three to four years. Your strategy should be to draft young but also steal unproductive players who, hopefully, could become future stars from the playoff teams.

Most teams headed to the playoffs have at least one weakness that they would like to address, so why not trade your one year stud like a Kurt Warner for a potential keeper?

Players to grab at low cost

Terrell Owens

T.O. has been struggling since Tony Romo went down, which has a lot of owners panicking. The acquisition of Roy Williams has led to two theories: 1) he is going to take catches away from Owens or 2) he is going to create more opportunities for Owens.

I believe the latter. Snatch T.O. up while you can because Romo is a 4500+ yard quarterback waiting to happen.

Chad Johnson

Most owners are fed up with Ocho Cinco and have already benched him for the remainder of the year.

While Sunday’s two touchdowns probably won't happen too often this season with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, I do expect him to come out strong next season with the Bengals (and a returning Carson Palmer) or on another team.

Larry Johnson

This one may seem like a strange choice, but he is a great talent. The only thing in his way is his off-the-field issues, and he will probably be in a different city next year.

Most keeper league owners have either buried him on the bench or released him. Grab him now because his stock will never be lower.

If Johnson ends up on the right team you could be looking at a 1500+ yard, 10+ TD running back.

Laurence Maroney and Rashard Mendenhall

These two guys are currently on IR.

Mendenhall may be a little hard to pry away from his current owner because he was a No. 1 pick last year; however, if his owner is in the playoff race, Mendenhall is just holding a spot that can be used for a player who can score some points.

As for Maroney, I guarantee that you can get him for next to nothing, probably for a backup on your own team. Unless the Patriots make a big offseason move, he will be the starter next season in a world-class offense that will include Tom Brady.

This Maroney pickup may be the most risky, but sometimes you have to take risks to succeed.

Ryan Torain

Who is Ryan Torain?

Torain is the player that you need to pick up off of the waiver wire RIGHT NOW.

Mike Shanahan has said that Torain is the most talented back on the Broncos' roster, and he should be the starter this week with Pittman, Hall, and Young all injured.

This guy is a talent, and everybody will know who he is.

Players to trade if you are out if the race

Kurt Warner

Warner is on pace for almost 5000 yards, but he is not helping you if you are not in a playoff race. No one knows if he will retire after this season; trade him to a contender now!

Any Defense

If you have a defense that is performing well, trade it.

Somebody is looking for a defensive upgrade, and you are not going to keep yours. Get rid of it.

If you can trade the Pittsburgh defense for Larry Johnson, why not go for it? It would be a win for both owners.

Donovan McNabb

McNabb may have some big numbers before the year is through and may have been a planned keeper, but you should trade him now if you can.

When you draft next fall, there will be a large number of talented and available quarterbacks. There is no need to hold on to McNabb when you could trade him for one of the players above.

If you want to hold on to a quarterback in the offseason, trade McNabb and pick up Matt Ryan (if he is available) or JaMarcus Russell.

Thomas Jones

Thomas Jones is 30-year-old running back who will not be a keeper since he is a middle of the road back. He has had five touchdowns in the last four weeks and can really help a contender at running back.

Unless you are in a league where you can keep all of your players, I would suggest trading him because he is more valuable to somebody else than he is to you.

Willis McGahee

The big question surrounding him is whether you can trade him with the emergence of Ray Rice the last two weeks. I think that there is an owner out there who would be willing to take a chance on a back like McGahee either to help in a playoff race or for the keeper purposes that we listed above.

McGahee’s best seasons are past him so trade him now while you still can.

Pickup of the week

This may be a week late, but Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles may have slipped under the radar, even with a 100-yard performance.

I believe that he will be the starting running back in K.C. next year.